On 21 November, the IDEATION project, together with Acque del Sud S.p.A., Acquedotto Pugliese SpA, and Water Europe, brought key Italian stakeholders together at the historic Palazzo dell’Acqua in Bari for a high-level event dedicated to advancing Digital Twins for inland waters. The gathering marked an important milestone in aligning national priorities with the vision of a fully interoperable EU Digital Twin Ocean (DTO).

The event was held entirely in Italian and welcomed representatives from institutions, water utilities, basin authorities, universities, research centres, and territorial actors. Discussions centred on real operational needs, concrete use cases, and the data architectures required to accelerate digital transformation in the water sector.

Project Coordinator Eloisa Vargiu and Roberto Di Bernardo introduced IDEATION’s mission, technological approach, and progress to date. They highlighted how digital twinning can foster more resilient, adaptive, and data-driven water management across Europe.

It was an honour for the IDEATION team to present in the presence of leading figures in the Italian water sector, including:

• Luigi Giuseppe Decollanz, President, Acque del Sud S.p.A.
• Domenico Laforgia, President, Acquedotto Pugliese SpA

During his intervention, Domenico Laforgia underscored a central challenge for Italy and many regions across Europe:

“We need monthly water balances to quantify all water inputs, outputs, and changes in storage within a system. They are essential for assessing water availability, supporting resource planning, and guiding the management of droughts, irrigation, and sustainable use.”

IDEATION is proud to support this vision through its work on Digital Twins, providing tools able to simulate, predict, and optimise water system behaviour in real time.